


McDonald Manor

by Dareandwriteit



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Pre Story and Song, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 04:15:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13205748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dareandwriteit/pseuds/Dareandwriteit
Summary: Angus had just found some new dads he was very pleased with, thank you very much.He does want the one he is given back to.





	McDonald Manor

**Author's Note:**

> This is another longer fic in the vein of "Just a Snack" but the the good old Tres Horny Boys putting on their detective hats to learn about Angus' mysterious past. 
> 
> Note that while this references some violence and stuff, no physical abuse against Angus will be made explicit.
> 
> Please leave comments, it will mean the world to me while I'm recovering from health issues.

Angus knew, with a terrible accuracy he was unaware of, that something was wrong. It was nothing he could put his finger on. More than once while walking the market lined streets of Neverwinter he would shoot a wary glance over his shoulder, pulling his backpack tight on his back. The suspicion was dispelled as Taako plucked Angus’ hat from his head and spun it around one finger. 

“Hurry up kid, cha boy’s horny for some sandwiches.” Taako grinned, throwing the hat into the air.

Angus jumped up to catch the flat brown cap. “Y-yes Sir! Sorry, I was distracted-”

“Some kid detective...” Merle mumbled, earning a snort from Taako and a nudge from Magnus.

The crowd had flooded the street, dozens of legs and coats obscuring more and more of them from Angus’ sight. Angus kept his eye on the tall purple point of Taako’s hat, but gradually lost track of the bobbing landmark.

“Sirs! Please - excuse me - wait up for me! I only have - sorry- little boy legs!” Angus called, hurrying to weave through the crowd. He gave short out of breath apologies to each person he passed, huffing and puffing as he pushed forward. He felt a sharp pang of panic, as the seconds alone ticked over to minutes. They hadn’t “lost” him again, had they? Had he said something to bother them again, something too needy, too childish?

Angus caught a quick glimpse of purple, standing off to the right of the road. Relieved, he rushed towards it. 

“Oh thank you Sir, I didn’t think you’d wait for-”

“Angus!” A voice that was certainly not Taako’s called his name. Arms that were not Taako’s wrapped around him. Angus was lifted from the ground in a suffocating hug, which pinned his arms to his sides and knocked his glasses askew. “Oh my boy, what happened to you?”

Angus flexed his fingers to reach for something, his wand, his stone of far speech. At the feeling of this reach, the hug grew tighter. Angus’ fingertips ached at the exertion, his ribs digging against his skin uncomfortably.

“No.” Angus squeaked, unable to draw enough breath for anything more.

“I missed you too! I thought I’d lost you for good.” The voice boomed, as though Angus had said something.

_I hoped you had _Angus thought, too frightened to do anything more than that.__

__“Hey, drop the boy! He’s ours!” Magnus’ voice rang out from somewhere far behind Angus, and he almost cried to hear it._ _

__“Yeah, and we don’t have the receipt so you better be careful with him.” Taako drawled, with an edge Angus rarely caught to it._ _

__“Are you the men who kidnapped my son?” Angus’ dad, Gregor McDonald snapped, drawing Angus up high. He could smell his father’s breath, it reeked of the same cheap cigars and gin that always made Angus feel sick._ _

__“This guy’s your dad?” Merle asked, with an element of surprise. “I can see which side of the family you get your looks from, kid…”_ _

__Angus felt Gregor’s grip tighten even further, leaving bruises scattered up his back. Angus’ breath caught, just barely holding back tears._ _

__“I’m taking my son home.” Angus’ dad said with a smug certainty._ _

__“That’s weird, because we’re planning on doin’ the exact same thing.” Magnus said with the same certainty, punctuated with the full _clunk_ of Railsplitter being unsheathed._ _

__Gregor flinched at this, making sure Angus’ body was between him and Magnus for a moment. Then he stopped. He put Angus back on the ground. Gregor had his hands placed on Angus’ shoulders._ _

__“Who do you want to go home with, Angus?” His father said, with a sweetness that made Angus feel nauseous._ _

__Angus knew it was wrong. It was all wrong, all planned like a play rehearsed without him. The crowd had parted, sensing a fight that was building among them. Placed throughout that crowd with a deliberate randomness, Angus saw friends of his father. There was the tell tale glint of crossbow bolts, the stance of an aim placed squarely upon his chest with each of them. Angus looked to Magnus slowly, the cogs of what to say turning slowly._ _

__Upon seeing this, Gregor’s eye twitched. He pointed at Merle, Magnus and Taako with an intense glare. Angus felt his blood run cold as the crossbows turned, and slowly pointed to his oblivious friends._ _

__Angus shook his head, a silent pleading no. Gregor shrugged._ _

__Angus took his father’s hand._ _

__“I’m sorry Sirs.” Angus said in a horse whisper, before being dragged out of the market and rushed into a waiting carriage. It had been waiting behind the stalls for this exact moment it seemed, and sped off before Gregor had even shut the door._ _

__Angus curled up small in the corner of carriage. He pressed into the wooden wall as though there was a chance he could phase through it. It was bizarre to think freedom was just a few inches away, where the cold breeze was coming from. Angus gingerly went to pull on the black curtain which hung over the window, hoping to spy a Bureau member not too far behind. There was a loud bang as Gregor stopped his foot on the floor violently, and Angus dropped the curtain like it burned him._ _

__He wrapped his arms around his knees, and stared at the floor. He decided to make deductions, because that’s what detectives did, and he was a detective now. Not a kid being dragged home to a punishment. There were cigarette butts everywhere: the thick fabric lining the carriage reeked of bad tobacco. The scraps of paper suggested a cheap brand, one smoked by people looking the scratch an itch without caring how they did it. The fact they were there, along with great clumps of matted dirt and mud from all over Neverwinter (the variety in colours and textures was quite the giveaway) suggested no-one had cleaned the carriage in months._ _

__Angus wondered how many of the servants that he had relied on for comfort still worked in the manor._ _

__He hoped for their sake that they didn’t._ _

__When he felt the familiar jostle of the cart rolling over the cobbled drive of the manor, Angus closed his eyes and tried to breathe normally. He rested his head against the wall of the carriage and concentrated on the cool beads of condensation that had formed there. He did the same with the pods heading up to the Bureau, keeping note of the drops of water rolling down the window. Magnus would be beside him, Taako up front, and Merle over by the window. Angus would close his eyes and listen to them bicker about some stupid thing or other. This carriage was too quiet to pretend it was anything else._ _

__A hand clamped around Angus’ wrist, and Angus’ eyes shot open. He was paralysed by fear for a second, staring in horror at the unnerving soft hand that wrapped around his wrist entirely._ _

__“Move.” Gregor barked, dragging Angus from the carriage. Unable to pull against the far stronger man, Angus stumbled out behind him. He was staggering down the steps when he slipped and scraped his knee on the splintered door. He whimpered, only for a second before Gregor snapped his attention to Angus. Angus fell silent, and was lead by his arm through the grand front doors of the house._ _

__Angus glanced at the wrought iron gates they had passed through, slowly being closed by the surly footman that had driven them back. There was no-one outside of them. No-one had followed the carriage. No-one was coming._ _

__Angus could have made a dash for the gate. Maybe he would have made it out of the grounds. He might have even been able to slip Gregor and get back to Neverwinter. But no-one was waiting for him. Angus would have nowhere to go, and the only thing worse than being forced into the McDonald Manor would be having to come back to it._ _

__Gregor finally let go off Angus, only to shut the ancient heavy doors and lock them with a bronze key that was hanging from his neck. The click of the key shot through Angus like a bullet. He didn’t go anywhere. He knew there he had nowhere to go._ _

__“Now Angus.” Gregor said, crossing his arms. “Let’s go have a little talk.”_ _

__Angus felt as though his feet were rooted to floor, looking nowhere but at the front door. He didn’t want to see anything else. The door was the same as it had been, and that was all he could think about right now. The manor could be in any state, and if it was anything like the carriage, it would break Angus’ heart. It was his mother’s home, his grandfather’s home. He didn’t want to see it looking like a garbage heap._ _

__Gregor didn’t notice. Or maybe he did, and he didn’t care. He placed a hand on Angus’ shoulder, and pushed him along the hall and into what had once been the dining room. The grand dining table was long gone, and the walls were covered in grey patches where paintings had once hung. Bottles, both for potions and alcohol, were stacked everywhere in large disorganised piles. Thick levels of grime choked most of the light that came through the windows, and the bottles warped what little got past that. Angus was pushed into a foldable wooden chair that had once been garden furniture, and Gregor sat in a wooden chair opposite._ _

__There was a few moments of silence between them._ _

__“How are you?” Gregor asked, with a wide and toothy smile._ _

__Angus squeaked, and after swallowing hard, he managed to say, “Fine, Sir.”_ _

__Gregor leaned back, seemingly pleased. He took a small wand out from his pocket. “Come now Angus. I’m your father. This is a place for the truth.”_ _

__Gregor waved the wand at Angus, making the boy flinch. But it didn’t hurt. It didn’t seem to do anything. Angus looked down at his shaking hands, as though he somehow managed to stop the spell with those._ _

__“Now Angus. Honestly. How are you?” His father asked again, steepling his fingers._ _

__“Scared.” Angus heard himself it before he realised the word was out of his mouth. He clamped his hands over his face, and suddenly became aware of the vague fuzziness in the back of his head. It was one he recognised with a cold flash of fear that ran down his spine. Zone of Truth._ _

__Gregor clapped his hands, excited. “What have you been doing for so long?”_ _

__Angus thought desperately for an answer that would be honest without revealing much. “I’m a detective.”_ _

__“Well, first of all that’s at an end. Snooping on other people’s lives isn’t something someone of your lineage should be proud of.” Gregor frowned, and Angus looked down at his hands. He nodded silently, hoping it would end the discussion._ _

__“Who were you working with?” Gregor said, tapping his wand against the table._ _

__This was an easier one to work around. “The men you found me with.”_ _

__“What are their names?”_ _

__Dang. “Magnus, Merle and-”_ _

__Gregor slammed the wand against the table. “Angus, stop being difficult! Full names.”_ _

__Angus took a deep breath. “Magnus Burnsides. Merle Highchurch. Taako-”_ _

__“The travelling elf who killed Glamour Springs?!” Gregor interrupted, sitting up suddenly in his chair._ _

__Angus wanted to say no. “Yes.”_ _

__“What were you thinking?” Gregor snapped._ _

__That he wanted me around. “That I could be helpful.”_ _

__“To a murderer?!”_ _

__“No, to the team we both work for.” Angus carefully stepped around names._ _

__“Who are they?” Gregor asked, his knuckles turning white from his grip on the wand._ _

__Angus could no longer carefully step. “The Bureau of Balance.”_ _

__Gregor blinked rapidly. “Who?”_ _

__Angus felt a sinking sensation as he realised what was happening. “The Bureau of Balance.”_ _

__Gregor got to his feet. “Stop doing that noise. Tell me who you were working for.”_ _

__“The Bureau of Balance!” Angus shouted scrambling back in his seat. Gregor came and grabbed his wrist again, and Angus panicked. “The Bureau of Balance! I promise, I’m saying it, I promise!”_ _

__“Stop lying to me!” Gregor pulled Angus up to his feet, yelling just inches from Angus’ face. His other hand began to raise from his side._ _

__“I can’t! I can’t lie to you! I promise I’m telling you the name, you just can’t hear it!” Angus wanted to scream, but could barely get above conversational volume because he was so afraid._ _

__“You won’t tell me-”_ _

__“I can’t!” Angus was begging, tears rolling down his face as he tried to pry Gregor’s fingers off his wrist._ _

__Gregor seemed to notice something, and grabbed Angus’ other wrist. Angus whimpered, watching as his father’s face reflect in the silver of his Bureau Bracer._ _

__“Is this what’s stopping you?”_ _

__“No, no…” Angus said quietly, shaking his head gently._ _

__“I saw the other three with these things. Is this their weird little cult mind washing thing?”_ _

__“No, it’s just my bracer, it doesn’t do anything. It’s harmless, please…”_ _

__“Take it off.” Gregor stated._ _

__Angus didn’t say anything. He just stared, horrified at what was inevitably ahead of him._ _

__“Take it off.” Gregor repeated, pulling on it. Angus’ arm moved with it, the metal having no give at all._ _

__“I can’t. It’s sealed, it’s not supposed to come off…”_ _

__Gregor wrenched Angus’s arm around, inspecting the bracer from every angle. Angus cried silently, staring in horror at his arm._ _

__“Don’t worry Angus.” Gregor said with an uncharacteristic calmness. “We’ll get this thing off you as soon as possible.”_ _

__-_ _

__When Angus went to bed, he lay on his back. The room was small, and it was cold. But his father wasn’t in it, which was all he wanted. Angus usually only ever slept on his side, but he couldn’t. He missed the reassuring cold of the bracer on his skin. The thick strips of gauze wrapped around his arm itched, and already had small patches of blood seeping through it. It hurt too much to lie on his side._ _

__-_ _

__Lucretia was the one who opened the package. She didn’t even know what it was at first. Fragments of silver metal were dumped into a box with seemingly no reason. But as she poured the contents out onto her desk, she had to suppress a cry of pain. The Bureau’s triangles were warped and deformed, no longer interlinked in their usual symbol. It could be no-one else’s bracer: there was so little metal there, and it was heavily ink stained._ _

__Angus was no longer in the Bureau._ _


End file.
